GNU bug report logs - #14116
[PATCH] ln: allow to overwrite relative symlink

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
Cc: tracker <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#14116: closed ([PATCH] ln: allow to overwrite relative symlink)
Date: Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:48:02 +0000

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Your message dated Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:43:53 +0100
with message-id <515C6A59.7060803 <at> draigBrady.com>
and subject line Re: bug#14116: [PATCH] ln: allow to overwrite relative symlink
has caused the debbugs.gnu.org bug report #14116,
regarding [PATCH] ln: allow to overwrite relative symlink
to be marked as done.

(If you believe you have received this mail in error, please contact
help-debbugs <at> gnu.org.)


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14116: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=14116
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From: Rémy Lefevre <lefevreremy <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: [PATCH] ln: allow to overwrite relative symlink
Date: Mon, 1 Apr 2013 16:40:59 +0200

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Overwriting relative symlink leads to undesirable behavior. Consider the
following example:

# Create some directories
mkdir test
mkdir test/folder1
mkdir test/folder2

#Create some files
touch test/folder1/file1
touch test/folder1/file2

#Create a relative symlink in folder2 to file1
ln -sr test/folder1/file1 test/folder2/link

#Check the link
ls -l test/folder2/link
# Correctly output a link to ../folder1/file1

#Overwrite the symlink to point to file2
ln -sfr test/folder1/file2 test/folder2/link

#Check the link
ls -l test/folder2/link
# Wrongly output a link to file2 instead of ../folder1/file2


This undesirable behavior is due to a dereferencing of the target when the
relative path is computed. Passing CAN_NOLINKS flag to
canonicalize_filename_mode solves the problem.

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[patch.diff (application/octet-stream, attachment)]

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From: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
To: Rémy Lefevre <lefevreremy <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 14116-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#14116: [PATCH] ln: allow to overwrite relative symlink
Date: Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:43:53 +0100

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On 04/02/2013 11:30 AM, Rémy Lefevre wrote:
> I'm not sure to understand your first sentence. Resolving the last component is already the existing behavior, but maybe not the intended one.
> 
> Anyway, I agree that the path should be resolved without its last component.
> 
> I wrote a new patch for this. I hope that this one will not break anything.

It looks good.

I've attached the full patch in your name with a test and NEWS entry.
Also attached is a related doc change, detailing the symlink
resolution done with ln --relative.

thanks!
Pádraig.

[ln--relative--symlink.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

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